A digital cross connect system (DSX) provides a location for interconnecting two digital transmission paths. The apparatus for a DSX is located in one or more frames, racks or bays, usually in a telephone central office. The DSX apparatus also provides jack access to the transmission paths.
DSX jacks are well known and typically include a plurality of bores sized for receiving co-axial or tip-and-ring plugs. In the case of co-axial plugs, the bores are provided with center conductors and co-axial grounds. In the case of tip-and-ring plugs, a plurality of spring contacts are provided within the bores for contacting the tip-and-ring plugs. The jacks are typically electrically connected to digital transmission lines, and are also electrically connected to a plurality of wire termination members used to cross-connect the jacks. By inserting plugs within the bores of the jacks, signals transmitted through the jacks can be interrupted or monitored.
The number of jacks or cross-connect points that are located at a bay of a given size is referred to as the density of a bay. As the cross-connect density increases, the management of telecommunication wires in the bay becomes increasingly complex. For high density DSX bays, wire management is critical. U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,214, commonly owned by ADC Telecommunications, shows a cross-connect rack with cross-connect modules. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,214 is hereby incorporated by reference.
Further developments are desired in the rack area. One area for improvement is strength and durability of the rack, such as during an earthquake. A further area of development is with respect to the size and cable management features which can fit above floor tiles constructed with a 600 millimeter by 600 millimeter perimeter.